Saul James
Saul James
After training as a classical composer in London, UK at the Royal College of Music, I knew I wanted to be a film composer, but I unfortunately discovered that coming from a poor family and being black really wasn't opening doors. Indeed, they all shut quite firmly. So I took almost 10 years out to work in charities, mostly with young people all around the UK from all walks of life but also with the homeless in London and for drug and alcohol charities as well as the Equality & Human Rights Commission. I mention this here because as a composer I write from the heart, and I try to bring a sense of humanity into the music I write, after all, it's about communicating emotions, right? When composing I bring emotional experiences and human psychology into my music and those former years, as well as other life experiences form part of the well of inspiration I draw from, even when composing for screen.
The combination of my socioeconomic 'status' and many years in the charitable sector, meant I did not have money for film school, plus there weren't any like there are today. So with my head in manuals, I self-trained and before long, started working both professionally and unpaid, (lots of unpaid!) on loads of short films, cutting my teeth and honing my craft. Before long I landed my first independent feature film and the rest is history. Along the way, I also self-trained as a screenwriter and have a couple of feature film projects in development.
I have now worked with producers and directors worldwide and scored almost 100 screen projects from corporate, and student, to TV series, and feature films. Haven't yet won my Oscar! As a classically trained composer, my passion remains in classical music and this flows into most of my work, but I also use it to enable me to move around genres, as required by each project. I consider myself privileged to be where I am but always remain aware that the journey never ends and I continue to collect life experiences and place these in that ever-growing well.
I very much hope you enjoy listening to my music. Please do get in contact if you'd like to talk discuss collaboration.
All the best, Saul
Welcome
Thank you for visiting my official site
Having trained as a classical composer at the Royal College of Music, I eventually moved into film composing, where I am privileged to have worked on many screen projects, including award-winning independent feature films and short films as well as TV credits with Channel 4, Canal+, Sky Arts and many more. I am also a screenwriter & continue composing classical music.
Find my official Bio at the bottom of this page.
Thank you for visiting.
FILM WORK
MUSIC WORK
Film Soundtrack Previews
Film Soundtrack Albums
Classical Work
After almost a ten year break, I am embarking on a new classical project for full orchestra.
While I regularly write classical music for films, I find it a very different discipline writing for the concert hall.
I'm excited to be back at it and look forward to sharing more in the future.
You can listen to some past classical works on the 'Listen Classical Page'.
FILM NEWS
Screen Composer News
Luzidlab is an international community of acclaimed multimedia creatives, who come together on select projects to develop interactive, experiential solutions. As digital experts, storytellers and content creators, we are passionate about creating work that harnesses technology and design for the benefit of society.
I am privileged to be one of the founding creatives and look forward to our collective, positive impact on the world.
Find out more at www.luzidlab.com
BIOGRAPHY
Biog
Saul James is a London based, classically trained composer, screenwriter, film composer and creator of The Breathe Key.
A 1st study composer at The Royal College of Music Conservatoire having been awarded a Scholarship, Saul studied under David McBride, Joseph Horowitz and the late Professor Philip Cannon and won the Joan Weller Memorial Composition Competition prize. Other studies included trumpet, piano and voice. At 17 years old, his first orchestral work for full orchestra and solo soprano was completed and performed to a standing ovation. The following year he won a commission to write a piece for The Royal Ballet School, performed for 3 nights at the Cochrane Theatre, London. Then came a larger commission of a one-hour, full-scale oratorio for orchestra, chorus and 4 soloists, for which he also conducted the premiere performance, which also received a standing ovation for such a moving performance.
Over the years Saul worked on numerous projects including musicals, film and pop music, TV and the classical concert hall, from chamber to orchestral, often conducting his own works. He fast became experienced in writing across many genres and is exceptionally apt at reflecting different styles to perfectly suit his commission. He has worked with film directors & producers from around the world including Malaysia, America, France, Africa and Austria and has written scores for award-winning independent feature films.
Saul started his screen career by writing the music to six promotional films for The Colour of Magic feature film, by the late Terry Pratchett. These were produced by Sky and starred Sean Astin, Christopher Lee, Jeremy Irons & David Jason. He has gone on to score and produce music for more than eighty short films and documentaries as well as five feature films, working in many genres including horror/slasher, romantic comedies, martial arts, drama, fantasy and war. Saul's music has reached many territories around the world through companies such as Swiss Films, Amazon, Sky (Sky Sports, Sky One, Sky Movies, Sky Arts, Sky Atlantic), Netflix, Canal+, Channel 4, TV Monde5, Seven Network (Australia) and through on-demand portals including Apple Music, Spotify, Google, Youtube, Amazon Music and SoundCloud.
As a classical composer, Saul has had UK performances of many pieces including his full orchestral works, string arrangements for solo artist albums and many smaller chamber pieces.
As a screenwriter, Saul wrote The North Wing, an independent feature film, with an attached director and some fantastic actors, hoping to go into pre-production soon. He has written a 6-part drama series looking at the life of someone battling with ME/CFS, a new feature film exploring the reality of living with post-natal depression, both on spec.
Planned projects for 2023/24 include a new classical work, a TV Series soundtrack, further script work for features films and other projects.
Saul is also the creator of The Breathe Key, a webspace built to support people through mindful breathing, mindfulness and meditation, with a particular lean towards supporting those with mental health conditions and anxiety.
A keen swimmer, you'll often find Saul in the pool doing laps, raising money to support the work of cancer research charities.